Arsenal determined to catch up with Chelsea, Liverpool

LONDON - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said that Manchester United can still win five trophies this season, but he is determined to stop their quest for glory and has not given up hope of catching Liverpool and Chelsea in the league.

Obama unlikely to go down nuclear path with Pakistan in a hurry: US experts

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s administration is unlikely to follow through on a suggestion to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan to acknowledge its nuclear weapon status in a hurry, analysts say.

Wenger expects Gallas to bounce back from injury

LONDON - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he expects footballer William Gallas to bounce back from the knee injury that will see him miss the rest of the season.

Obama met Gorbachev last week: White House

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama met with former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev here last Friday, the White House has confirmed.

Leaders Manchester United stunned at Fulham; Chelsea lose

LONDON - The English Premier League title race was thrown wide open Saturday when leaders Manchester United suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Fulham, ending the match with just nine men.

Capello asks ManU, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal to beware of Barcelona, Messi

LONDON - England coach Fabio Capello has asked Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal to beware of Barcelona and Lionel Messi during the Champions League quarter-final.

No Champions League fears for Liverpool: Gerrard

LONDON - Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists that his club fears nobody left in the competition ahead of Friday’s Champions League draw for the quarterfinals.

Arsenal suffers as injured Rosicky is ruled out for two weeks

LONDON - Arsenal suffered a big set-back as midfielder Tomas Rosicky has been ruled out of action for two weeks with an injury.

India readies missile shield with successful interceptor test

NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR - Registering a hat-trick, India Friday successfully test-fired an indigenous interceptor to neutralize an ‘enemy’ ballistic missile at an altitude of 75 km and demonstrate its capability to defend itself against Chinese and Pakistani missiles, an official said.

Missile defence shield: India to test interceptor Friday

NEW DELHI -India will Friday test launch its indigenous interceptor missile that will destroy an incoming ballistic ‘enemy’ missile at an altitude of 80 km and will provide defence against Pakistani and Chinese missiles, an official said.

Pakistan urgently needs $4-5 bn, says US senator

WASHINGTON - The US and Europe must give Pakistan $4-5 billion in urgent aid or risk seeing the nuclear-armed country slip into chaos, two leading US foreign policy voices warned Tuesday.

Arsenal still confident of signing Arshavin

LONDON - Arsenal remained hopeful of signing forward Andrei Arshavin despite claims from the player’s owners Zenit St Petersburg that the deal was off.

Gas stolen in Ukrainian transportation system: Russian firm

MOSCOW - Russian gas has been stolen after being pumped into Ukraine’s gas transportation system, an official spokesman for Russian energy giant Gazprom has said.

Nepal’s ruling Maoists refuse to hand over illegal arms

KATHMANDU - Two years after signing a peace pact and now heading the government, Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas Wednesday rejected an ally’s plea to hand over their weapons to win the trust of the international community as well as other parties.

10 killed as Israel strikes more targets in Gaza

GAZA/TEL AVIV - Israel pounded more targets in Gaza, as a massive military operation aimed at curbing rocket and mortar attacks from the strip entered its fourth day Tuesday.

Tottenham target Defoe in $20 million deal

LONDON - Jermain Defoe’s future in Portsmouth is in serious doubt after he was first left out of the squad Sunday night and then reinstated to the substitutes’ bench for the game against Arsenal in the English Premier League.